Without looking further, I'm inclined to say that's due to a lack of plays by opposing teams playing keep away and supports the deduction of our D not getting off the field enough on their own merit (preventing 3rd down conversions, stopping the run, getting more turnovers)...

To me it's more of complimentary Falcons style games or not. We are built to most consistently win with scoring offense & a D that can get us the ball back/get off the field playing with a lead. It is ironic since we've played the inverse often but that's the ideal. Yeah we are supposed to be the team that gets leads and holds them...
Throw rankings aside. If an opposing team eats up the clock they too will have less total yardage; plus if you give up more rushing yard than passing you generally have a lower yardage total (150-200 rush yards is a lot in a game vs 300+ passing)...the point is we HAVE stayed on the field on D and have also had scoring problems on offense; despite averaging lengthy drives ourselves (our average starting field position was among the worst in the league STs anyone? Lack of 3 & out by our D anyone?)
The problem becomes exacerbated by untimely penalties and unforced turnovers (the couple times Ryan forced this year, a couple were great plays by defender and the rest on our receivers deflecting a pass they could have caught into a defender)...
So, my point is that teams don't mind playing low scoring games vs us necessarily. They'd rather wear us down and score enough/make us the ones pressured to score.
Clock eating/ball control offense while scoring enough and limiting/pressuring our offense to score on each of its drives; while threatening to put our tired D back on the field too quickly, leads to this non-complimentary dynamic between the units as we have seen.
The O isnt optimal if it scores too fast and bad if it goes 3 & out; while also just quickening the end by driving and failing to get points on drives we move the ball well. (See Minn game or Car game)
Yeah, it wears their D down some (mostly their coverage unless they don't have a good DL rotation), but also puts immediate pressure back to our D if the other team doesn't have to take risks when you fail to score, and allows them to try to adjust next time their D takes the field to what helped us move the ball on the drive we left points.
It's been a weird year when all 3 phases have rarely clicked together; leading to games with comebacks when we've had leads, stalled offense for long stretches/inability to get off the field on D or leaving points/plays on field due to execution, and STs hurting both sides of the ball in regards to that field position battle.
The TO rate has added to it all. Again, how many INTs can we rely on if not jumping to large leads and teams can stay committed to the run and safer chain moving passing game?
The games we tried to open it up deep it just has been so off compare to last year. WR and QB not in sync often and when they are receiver drops or gives up an INT credited to Matt...
Again, it's like the Panthers game 1 all over again. If we go up 3+ scores, then we have a much better chance if they have to abandon their run game approach. Instead m, they took control of the game and eventually overtook while on O not having to go shootout mode right away and case in point we miss 2 easy long TDs. The non-quick score leads to lack of overall pressure we impose onto opposing D; it just hasn't been there consistently.
What's our performance in PA? I would like to see how teams defend us compared between these seasons because it's not just a matter of not connecting in of itself; though those connections would have helped a lot. It's been hit/miss; instead of mostly hit last year. (Robinson, Gabriel, Julio deep or plays with lots of YAC, Coleman/Free in space or a TE snuck wide open)

Well, last year it wasn't as much of an issue since we could seemingly score at will. This year it's more deliberate by teams and we had long stretches of poor run D. Offense has regressed and it was definitely to be expected but the extent is where the D playing better is so critical. We have to get enough game drives in situations that allow to open up what Sark wants to do. If they run half a Q off the clock in a single drive every game that's 1 less drive more than likely in each game alone. This puts a lot more pressure on the offense than last season since you had the edge as a revealing offense instead of an offseason that would require adjustments by whomever would be OC.
Special Teams haven't done either side of the ball many favors. How many holds or block in back have we seen push starting field position back 10 when we really just hoped at least for a clean fair catch from Roberts??? Lol.

You see, this is the kind of stuff to where you'd think we could get Hooper/Coleman in position to get other teams into zone or risk them being beaten by losing in man mismatches. Teams are definitely defending us differently, and Hooper has let us down a bit this year. I like seeing plays where Toilolo or a RB sneak free. That usually means if it works we are having good protection for Matt.

Defense hasn't gotten itself off the field enough this year. This has contributed to reduced scoring. At the same time, our special teams and average starting position for opposing offense comapred to our average starting field position was drastically different for the season only a few games ago. Remember how the Seahawks basically started on their 40 yard line or better all game? That's on STs. Remember how we allowed most plays per drive (32nd) and had terrible 3rd down D (the worst in the league as well?) and no wonder we play low scoring games. Teams want to cut time and pressure Falcons offense knowing they reduce the number of drives per game and take long drives on our D playing keep away. Last year we had more turnovers by the D and less by our offense, perfect storm for regression. You put a year of outstanding execution and play calling on film. Even Kyle would've struggled keeping up with last year's numbers. This is the NFL. Give teams an offseason to breathe and study you and then play like you do while trying to adjust. Chess match and we gotta hope Sark keeps building/players execute. Hooper has been very disappointing as our #3 target on the year with the number of times he has let us down. We've missed Robinson as Marvin Hall/Turbo have less opportunities.
All 3 phases must step up for Atlanta. This includes supporting cast players. 13 different players get a TD last year but it's been a bit worse distribution this year.
We're close...depends on the execution if Sark can find a rhythm and our deep threat plays comes back. We had many developing plays and playaction was a huge part of this. What is our stats in play action this year? %of pass plays and the success rates?

Saints beat themselves by committing clear penalties on us. The Minn game seemed a little more unbalanced in how it was called. After Julio missed his chance early, Garland gets called for the apparently clean pancake to bring back a good run by Freeman into the redzone. So, we got denied a trip to RZ and immediately settle for FG. Three penalties to overcome in 1 drive. That's beating yourself right there.
Now, if the Saints can't defend us without committing penalties that does not indicate they could defeat us playing straight up. I get it though, foul instead and hope it's not called since you gonna be best anyway. "But the refs didn't let us get away with it and they beat us" lol delusional

A large factor you didn't consider in your post is that 2016 Falcons got hot and peaked into a SB run. Every team has an entire season of film to study us after that.
Sark was never going to come in and just call the same plays Kyle would, that's expecting to fail because Sark needs to develop the chess aspect and when to call specific shots by design.
So, I think he has the foundational concepts in place as demonstrated this year (we move the ball well but struggle to be as lethal in big plays/scoring yet this has been demonstrated to be influenced heavily by players executing poorly more than last year)...
Yet, another thing all of these Ryan/Sark/drops into INTs/"wut happened to our scoring offense" threads seem to ignore is the effects that the opposing team's offense has in all of this. We've been seeing bad 3rd Down D all year from our unit and were recently last in plays allowed per drive. This means teams are not only committed to playing "keep away" but they have proven successful as this. Why play shootout early and allow Falcons multiple drives to execute further plans of attack to let the new OC get into a rhythm executing his adjusted offense as he sees what teams are doing differently on D as the year goes on compared to what he too had to look at. This leads to less drives/plays per game, it tires your defense, and pressures your offense to consider taking longer drives so as to not run them back out there worn out; one thing that undermined our SB collapse.
Secret was out mid year last season but then teams could deeply study us once the offseason hit. The hope is you go through a growing pains here and bring a new level of consistency to the high 20s in scoring again. The RG position has been problematic and the drops + TO differential (fluke INTs that our receivers aren't helping Matt on)...we weren't going to be as good, but seeing the missed opportunity left out there has added to the frustration. Penalties have become one of our worst enemies. Can't beat those teams if you beat yourself.
I might add the STs and D not giving as many short fields adds into the drop in scoring. You move the ball but drive stalls outside of FG range or only in FG range, less TD chances coupled with less explosive deep plays/YAC plays.

We lost the SB by simply leaving a little bit too much time and at least 2 FG kicks on the field. The turnover didn't help, look at that another player execution error. (Missed block)
(The Julio catch drive and the Matthews holding to ruin our onside kick recovery to deny Pats the ball when it was 28-9)

And only the ones with legs get the "carried their team by sheer will" mantra. I tried to explain this to another poster in the chill on Matt thread. Went over his head, Matt isn't elite in his own way as a pocket QB since he ISNT the poster NFL studs named Wilson and Rodgers. Where would Brady be without the Pats D early in his career?

The context is the particular matchup. Julio wins round 1.
its the Falcons boards. I wanted to post a video clip I found from:
https://247sports.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/Bolt/Atlanta-Falcons-Julio-Jones-takes-New-Orleans-Saints-Marshon-Lattimore-to-school-112134296

Lol. Peyton Manning. Elite QB or ? Couldn't carry his team past an elite one; while that team was carrying future GOAT Brady. "Elite" is subjective and politicized by the thought Police of the media. Ryan has more comeback or game winning drives than Rodgers by far for example. Guess Ryan can't carry a team but Aaron can? ****, even our poor performing team this year trounced them for a 3rd time in less than a calendar year at the time. Looks like Aaron needs a team too.

Believe what you want. flacco and Eli got carried to SB wins on elite defenses. Same as Brady. See? Not hard to understand.
Yeah, our OL have been average. Sam Baker was serviceable at best; even when he could stay healthy. We never ran over anyone as a power OL. Turner did, and his body broke down quickly from it then he turned to alcohol abuse.
You've yet to show me a Falcons elite D. White is great but was no Julio.
Again, Falcons got some weapons and expected to win it all. Ryan has done well with those weapons in his career. Complete team? No. Pats D was fine last year. I'm speaking of 2001; 2003-2004 though. When they were in another level and Brady had to simply deliver with that backbone of support. Remember how Manning couldn't beat New England for years? Defense. Not Brady.
So yes, it's a team game and yes, Rodgers/Wilson can make types of plays Ryan/Brady can't.